WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Marsha Fahey is one of thousands of Kansans who used the affordable connectivity program to help pay for internet and is now trying to find ways she can continue access.
““I don’t want to see my next bill,” said former ACP user Marsha Fahey, “I’m going to have to rebudget.”
Fahey says she uses the internet for more than just streaming and her connection is a necessity.
“I pay most of my bills online and do banking online,” said Fahey, “I would just have to have it really the way things are now, I mean I could go back to mailing checks and all that.”
Fahey isn’t the only one struggling with the end of the program. In a December 2023 FCC survey of ACP users more than 75 percent of people who responded said losing the program would disrupt their service or make them drop internet entirely. Nearly 70 percent surveyed users said prior to ACP they had inconsistent or zero internet connection.
“We know that expanding internet access to people that haven’t had it before which is what the ACP program did,” said Cox Communications Kansas Market VP Coleen Jennison, “it boosts job opportunities, it improves health outcomes, increases educational opportunities.”
Cox Communications Kansas Market Vice President Coleen Jennison says the best thing ACP users can do right now is reach out to their provider and research plans.
“It’s significant in multiple areas of people’s and families’ lives and while again I recognize that it’s going to be scary for that to go away for some folks, we really encourage them to research their options because there are options,” said Jennsion.
Fahey is researching options with her internet provider and through other federal programs like Lifeline but is concerned about how other users might be hurt.
“It’s really helpful and I think about all the kids trying to do homework and I think it’s helped a lot of people,” said Fahey, “but unfortunately nothing’s really getting done right now much in congress so I’m just kind of hanging on to see what happens.”
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